Kapa-Kingi goes nuclear on Te Pāti Māori – Te Tai Tokerau now in play
Te Tai Tokerau has just gone from a likely Te Pāti Māori hold to one of the most unpredictable Māori electorates in the country. Mariameno Kapa-Kingi’s decision to walk away and launch her own party detonates the Māori political landscape ahead of Election 2026 and risks fracturing the kaupapa vote at the worst possible time.
Mariameno Kapa-Kingi leaves Te Pāti Māori, starts new party
Mariameno Kapa-Kingi is leaving Te Pāti Māori to start her own political party.
Te Pāti Māori said it wished Kapa Kingi well and would announce its candidate to go up against Kapa-Kingi in the Te Tai Tokerau seat in due course.
The MP’s split from the party comes after a turbulent past year, which culminated in Kapa-Kingi being expelled from Te Pāti Māori, along with Te Tai Tonga MP Tākuta Ferris.
Kapa-Kingi successfully challenged the legitimacy of her expulsion in court and was reinstated by a judge to her party. However, this latest announcement sees her again part ways with the party.
NZME
Te Tai Tokerau just became the wildest race in Māori politics
Mariameno has gone nuclear one last time against Te Pāti Māori and has taken the TTT from a likely win for Te Pāti Māori and has now turned it into a four-horse race that Mariameno could possibly lose.
Watching Māori electorates for 31 years, I can tell you two truths:
- Māori in the Māori Electorates are the most strategic voters in MMP
- If you break Māori voters hearts they will actively spurn you.
I think this latest splitter drama inside Te Pāti Māori will be the final straw for many who feel heartbroken over the egos and rupturing of the kaupapa.
Between Mariameno, Te Pāti Māori, Greens and Labour the vote split would favour Willow Jean Prime, although Hūhana Lyndon has put an enormous amount of on-the-ground face time in Te Tai Tokerau and her positivity may well be the salve for the latest internal politics drama and cynicism.
Vote splitting could hand Labour or the Greens an opening
This move opens the electorate up for a surprise outcome and you would have to favour Labour and Greens over the Māori political parties themselves now.
Read the fucking room Tamihere and head toward the exit walking backwards with your whanau in tow…
Cannot stand that ego maniac Mariameno Kapa Kingi. What a fuckwit. And fancy calling her new party after a district as if she owns it. Hope she loses big time and that the people of Te Tai Tokerau see her for the greedy power grabber for what she is and that her echo chamber she is lost in and has caused so much chaotic idiotic damage, is tiny. That being said thank god she quit TPM and let’s see who they replace her with. Another thing, that overreaching judge that put her back in TPM has had to retract and reword his instructions to TPM and the Speaker for overstepping his reach. Interesting. Speaks volumes about the impartiality of his judgement.
I think it is TPM who have broken the hearts of maori in the north by the way it has treated their daughter. Mariameno will win as an independent and Labour will increase its party vote.
It is unrealistic and even a bit colonial to think that Maori can or should be represented by one voice in Parliament.
Absolutely insane. Risking giving this seat away to Labour is just mental.